Razor blade sharpener



J. M. COLLINS RAZOR BLADE SHARPENER Dec. 1, 1942.

Filed Sept. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 1, 1942. "J, o N5 2,303,616

RAZOR BLADESHARPENER Filed Sept. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 36 Z9 {Z 14 5515 H 1 1a 7 1/ [/4 V i A Patented Dec. 1, 1942 James M. Collins, Newark,'N. J., assignor of onehalf to Lawrence A. Russo, Newark, N. J.

Application September 27, 1941, Serial No. 412,529

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for-honing or-stropping razor blades, which includes spaced and parallel reciprocable honing or stropping members, a blade holder oscillatable between the honing or stropping members, means for simultaneously actuating the stropping members in opposite directions, and means for oscillating the blade holder, whereby the two edges of the blade are moved and held in contact alternately with the two stropping or honing members.

One object of the invention is to provide a machine of this character which shall include novel, improved and simple means for oscillating the blade holder.

Another object is to provide novel and improved, simple and reliable means for yieldingly holding the edges of the blade in contact with.

the respective honing or stropping elements.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described which shall include a novel and improved, simple and inexpensive combination of a frame, two honing or stropping members and flexible connectors between said members, whereby one of the members can be easily and quickly disconnected from the other and removed from the frame to permit access to the blade holder and facilitate application and removal of a blade to and from the holder.

Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will appear from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a honing or,

stropping machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. s

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the honing or stropping members and the blade holder in one position.

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the honing or-stropping members and the blade holder in another position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the manner of removing one of the stropping or honing elements from the frame to permit insertion or removal ofa razor blade.

Figure 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 4, showing the blade holder in neutral position, and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary bottom plan view from the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates the frame of the machinewhich isshown as comprising two spaced and approxitransverse openings to register mately parallel side pieces I and 2 that are con nected at their ends by tie rods 3 upon each of which is rotatably mounted a sleeve 4.

Within the frame are two spaced and parallel reciprocable honing or stropping members B and C each of which comprises a plate 5 on the side of which adjacent the other plate is secured a stropping or honing medium '6. Where the machine is to be used for honing a blade, obviously the medium 6 will be a honing stone, while for stropping a blade, the medium 6 will be a stropping material such as a layer of leather. The plate 5 of the member B has its longitudinal side edges slidably mounted in guide grooves 1 in the frame pieces I and 2, and the side pieces I and 2 have longitudinal shoulders 8 on which the longitudinal marginal portions of the plate, 5 of the element C are adapted to slide. A guide. block or cleat 9 is secured to each of the side pieces I and 2 intermediate the length thereof and. in spaced relation to the shoulder 8 to slidably receive the marginal portions of the plate 5 of the member C between said block and said shoulder and thereby guide said plate in its reciprocating movement. With this construction the member C can be moved laterally from the frame by simply sliding it along the shoulder 8 outwardly beyond the block 9. One end of the member B is connected to the corresponding end of the member C by a flexible connector l0 such as a strap. The other end of the member B has connected thereto one end of another flexible connector H, the other end of which is separably connected to the member 0 as by a clamp I 2.. Normally the member B is seated in the grooves 1 and the member C is seated between the shoulder 8 and the cor-- responding blocks 9, and the connector II is con-- 1, 2, 3 and 4.

. Th member B has a finger piece or knob l3] fixedly connected thereto for actuating the honing or stropping members B and 'C, and it will be observed that by pushing said knob alternately in opposite directions, the honing or stropping members B and C will be reciprocated alternately in opposite directions, each of said members always reciprocating in a direction opposite to that of the other.

A blade holder D is mounted in the frame between the members B and C and is shown as comprising a main plate l4 having a trunnion I 5 at each nd thereof journaled in a socket I6 in the corresponding side piece I or 2. This plate has with the usual openings in a safety razor blade l8, and a keeper plate I9 cooperates with the main plate M for clamping the blade l8 between them, the keeper plate having studs 20 to pass through the openings in the razor blade and the openings 11 in the main plate. One end of the keeper plate has an offset tongue 2| to separably fit into a slot 22 in the main plate l4 and the other end has a slidable latch 23 formed with a bifurcated end 24 to cooperate with a T-shaped stud 25, for removably connecting the keeper plate to the main plate.

At one end the main plate M has an arm 26 projecting angularly from the plate and-through a longitudinal slot 2'! in the member B. The

slot 21 is of such length that as the member B approaches one limit of its movement, oneendof the slot will abut the arm 25; and tilt the blade holder in one direction as shown in Figures 1 to 3, while when said member approaches the other limit of its movement, the other end of the slot will engage said arm 2fit and tilt, the blade holder in the other direetionas shown in Figure 4,. As shown the arm 26 limits movement of the member B, but other means for this purposemay be provided. In this way, the opposite edges of the blade l8 are brought alternately into contact with the. members B and C.

For holding the edges of the blade in yielding contact with the honing or stropping media 6, I provide a cam 28 pivotally mounted adjacent one. end as at 29 upon theside piece l of the frame and having a head 3ilprovided with two oppositely facing inclined or cam surfaces 3| and 3 Z, to engage the end of the arm 25. The head of. the cam is normally pressed against the arm 26by a spring 33 one end of which is connected tothe cam at 34 while the other end is fastened tethe frame at 35. When the members B and C ar atone. limit of their movement, the cam surfaee 32 wil l abut the end of the arm 26 of the blade holder so that the cam underthe influence of the spring 33 will yieldingly press the edges of the blade I8 into, contact with the honing or stropping media as shown in Figure 3 to dispose the blade in proper position for, honing orstropping during movement of the members B and C toward the other limit of their movement. When the members Band C reach the other limit of their movement, the cam surface 3! will en-v gage thearm, 26 so that the other sides of the edges of the blades will be pressed into contact.

with the hon ngor stropping media asshownin Figure 4,

With this construction, it v will, be obvious that reciprocation of the honing or stropping mem-' hers will result in honing or stropping of each,

side of the beveled cutting edges of the blade.

When itisdesired to insert orremove a blade from the holder D, the clamp I2 is released to disconnect, the strap II from the member- C, whereupon said member may be slid out of the frame as shown in Figure 5 and thereby expose the blade holder. It is desirable that the blade be held against contact with the honing or stropping media during this operation, and to insure this, it is preferable to slowly slide the member B in the proper direction to, cause the end of the slot 21 to engage the arm 26 of the blade holder and move the latter into the position in which both edges of the blade are out of contact with the members B and C, as shown in Figure 5. To facilitate this operation and to yieldingly hold the blade holder in this position, the under side seat or notch 36 in which the end of the arm 26 may seat. To further facilitate the location of the blade holder as described, the member B may have suitable indicia such as a line 31 to cooperate with a pointer 38 on the cam, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, so as to indicate when the blade holder is in the desired neutral position.

While I have shown and described the now preferred embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that many modifications and changes may be made in the details of structure of the machine without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Obviously by suitable modifying the shapes of the main plate 14 and the keeper plate I9 of the blade holder, a singleedged'bla-demay be mounted in the holder and honed or stropped in the same manner as hereinbefore described in conjunction with a doubleedged blade.

stropping members, means including an arm onv of the head 30 of the cam may have a concave 7;

Having thus described my invention, laimis:

1. A machineof the character, describedcomprising, a frame, spaced, and parallel stropping members, reciprocable in said frame, means for what I simultaneously, reciprocating said members, an

oscillatory holder for a blade between said stropping members, an arm on said blade holder and.

a pair of abutments on one of said stropping members to cooperate alternately with said arm for actuating said holder alternately into two differentpositions as said stropping member approaches the limits of its movement in opposite directions respectively to cause engagement of a blade in said holder with said stropping members, and a cam having two cam surfaces one to cooperate with said arm when said holder is in each saidtwo positions for holding said blade holder in each of said positions duringmovement of said stropping members between said limits.

2. The machineset forth in claim 1 with the addition of a spring for actuating said. cam to cause yielding contact of said blade with said stropping members.

3. A machine of the character described com,- prising two stropping members, a frame having a guide for each of said members to reciprocably mount said members in spaced and parallel relation in said frame, one of said guides being formed to permit lateral movement of the corresponding member out of the frame when said memberv is-inone position, a flexible connector movedfromme frame and allow access to said blade holden,

4; A machine; of,-the character described compri,sing a, .frame,- spaced and parallel reciprocable stropping; members in said frame, meansfor simultaneously reciprocating said members,a rockable holder for ablade in said frame between said said,holder for actuating said; holder intodifferent positions uponreciprocation of said members to;,cause engagement of a. blade in said holder withsaid'mernbers, and a spring influenced cam;

having two cam surfaces one to cooperate with said arm when said holder is in each of said positions for holding said blade in contact with said stropping members.

5. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, spaced and parallel stropping members reciprocable in said frame, means for simultaneously reciprocating said members, an oscillatory holder for a blade between said stropping members, an arm on said blade holder and a pair of abutments on one of said stropping members to cooperate alternately with said arm for actuating said holder alternately into two different positions as said stropping member approaches the limits of its movement in opposite directions respectively to cause engagement of a blade in said holder with said stropping members, and means for holding said blade holder in each of said positions during movement of said stropping members between said limits of movement.

6. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, spaced and parallel members reciprocable in said frame, at least one of which has a stropping surface, means for simultaneously reciprocating said members, and an oscillatory holder for a blade between said members, an arm on said blade holder and means on one of said members normally disengaged from said arm but adapted to cooperate therewith as said member approaches the limits of its movement in opposite directions respectively for actuating said holder alternately into two different positions to cause alternate engagement and disengagement of an edge of a blade in said holder with said stropping surface, and yielding means cooperating with said arm for holding said blade holder in the position to maintain yielding engagement of a blade in said holder with said stropping surface during movement of said members between said limits of movement.

7. A machine of the character described com.- prising a frame, spaced and parallel stropping members reciprocable in said frame, means for simultaneously reciprocating said members, an oscillatory holder for a blade between said stropping members, an arm on said blade holder and a pair of abutments on one of said stropping members to cooperate alternately with said arm for actuating said holder alternately into two different positions as said stropping member approaches the limits of its movement in opposite directions respectively to cause engagement of a blade in said holder with said stropping members, and a spring influenced cam cooperating with said arm for holding said blade holder in each of said positions during movement of said stropping members between said limits of movement.

8. A machine of the character described comprising a frame, spaced and parallel stropping members reciprocable in said frame, means for simultaneously reciprocating said members, an oscillatory holder for a blade between said stropping members, means on said blade holder and means on one of said stropping members normally disengaged from each other during movement of said stropping members between the limits of their movement in opposite directions but adapted to cooperate with each other as said stropping member approaches the limits of its movement in opposite directions respectively to cause engagement of a blade in said holder with said stropping members, and means for yieldingly holding said blade holder in each of said positions during movement of said stropping members between said limits of movement to hold said blade in contact with said stropping members.

JAMES M. COLLINS. 

